On R List of Movie Reviews

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The Rookie (1990)

Rate: 7
Viewed: 5/04, 11/05, 3/20

RookieClint
11/05: There's no stronger indication than The Rookie that it's time for Clint Eastwood to stop appearing in policiers.

An action film involving Lara Flynn Boyle? I can't believe it. Almost everybody is terrible, and Pepe Serna gets my vote for the worst actor of the cast. Only Charlie Sheen and Marco Rodríguez keep me interested.

There are many acts of police brutality. I have no idea how all can hold up in the court of law. The hostage torture conducted by Sônia Braga's character is too weird. Even worse is the somewhat overlong ending, reminding me of Bullitt.

All in all, I liked the moment when Charlie Sheen hopped into the car before blurting out, "Are you fucking crazy?" Now, that's the question of the year for Clint Eastwood when he decided to do this film.

3/20: The Rookie looks a lot better this time around.

Thanks to Charlie Sheen and Marco Rodríguez, the policier has a nice edge to it because of the exciting action stunts. The more attention they garner, the better the film is. Although Clint Eastwood is the star of the show, somewhat playing Dirty Harry again, Charlie Sheen steals his thunder. Amusing is the Puerto Rican Raúl Juliá being portrayed as a German, but it's too bad he never got the chance to develop his character more.

The best part is when Charlie Sheen told his partner, "Are you fucking crazy?" before driving the car out of the window. Unquestionably, the weirdest scene is the sex torture (or rape?) that Sônia Braga's character inflicted on Pulovski. Both are unforgettable.

All in all, if not for Charlie Sheen, The Rookie would've been another tired Dirty Harry picture.